Andrew Asch

Stories by Andrew

French fashion means couture, right? Oui! ---Mais non. In the case of Le Slip Français, French made-clothes can be tighty whitey underwear, or just simple briefs. Le Slip Français will open a pop-up shop in Venice Beach at 604 S. Venice Blvd. at Abbot Kinney. Apparently it is the French brand’s first foray into U.S. retail.

Looks like there’s some revolving real estate on Fairfax Avenue, which is Rodeo Drive for streetwear fashions. Odd Future is out of the boutique space at 410 N. Fairfax Ave. A pop-up for the Rook boutique moved in.

Sports and music celebrities, as well as tourists from around the globe, come to Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue to shop at the flagships of some of America’s top streetwear brands. But for Adam Derry, the street has an undeniable creativity that is becoming more important to Los Angeles’ identity. Call it 'Los Fairfax.' On March 26, Derry introduced a capsule collection called "Los Fairfax."

Guerilla Atelier defied expectations by selling luxe fashion in Los Angeles’ gritty Art District. But on March 26, the boutique put a focus on brash art. It held a reception for artist Knowledge Bennett and his provocative art show Cojones.

Nasty Gal is scheduled to open in its second physical shop on March 27. The store will be located at 1254 Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. The Nasty Gal herself, Sophia Amoruso - the retailer's founder, will be making appearances at the Santa Monica store this weekend.

Amour Vert opened a permanent store in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley last year. Earlier this month, the brand opened a pop-up shop at 441 University Ave. in Palo Alto. Amour Vert's CEO said that the company intends to roll out a handful of boutiques by the end of the year.

The Los Angeles brand Nouveau Riche made a debut this month at the Art Hearts Fashion Show. Nouveau Riche’s first line is called Melrose Meets Robertson, and it was designed by a guy who made his fashion chops in Los Angeles.

Streetwear kings Crooks & Castles honored car club culture with a collaboration with Chain Gang LA. The outfit is one of a handful that makes iconic traditional chain-stitch embroideries for car clubs. They held a debut for the collaboration at Crooks' Los Angeles flagship store on March 20.

A cute doodle can go a long way. In the case of Japanese pop-art brands, clothing lines and business empires can be made out of them. For Elisabeth Rosenwasser, cute scribbles she made in college turned into Squibblez, a proto-collection. Squibblez showed a preview of its line March 22 at the Astroetic Studio in downtown Los Angeles.

In 2010, The Stylist Project art series by Kimberly Brooks made a debut. It piqued the interest of a lot of L.A. fashion people because it offered portraits of some denizens of the Los Angeles fashion scene such as Rose Apodaca and Rachel Zoe. Five years later, Brooks is back to fashion. On March 19, she dropped by the Cooper Design Space which held a reception for her Thread & Bone art installation for the showroom building’s Gateway Gallery.

Trade Show

Moda 360, a trade show for independent designers, will make its debut at The New Mart showroom building in downtown Los Angeles April 24–25, said Debora Pokallus, the founder and chief executive officer of the show.

Retail

The board of directors for the Macerich Co. unanimously rejected an unsolicited bid from mall giant Simon Property Group Inc. on March 17. Simon made its "best and final" offer for Macerich on March 20.

The Dripped Fashion Soiree produced the biggest gala of its multi-year run on March 18. More than 500 people checked out runway shows from four emerging designers at Dripped, which showcases new designers with an underground edge.

The LA Fashion Market, which wraps up March 19, is a good excuse to throw a party. Austere, located at 912 S. Hill St. just a couple of blocks away from the showroom buildings where the Fashion Market is going on, held a reception March 17 for collections from emerging designers. With treats such as wine and chocolate being served, revelers got to see new looks by brands by Cuero & Mør, Echo + Air, Jill Aiko Yee and Stella Proseyn.

After five years of doing art for RVCA, Michelle Blade collaborated with the brand to do a capsule collection. It is called Michelle Blade for RVCA Spring/Summer 15, and it is based on her watercolors.

LASC has long served the city of West Hollywood as a place for men’s fashion and a place to party. It produces major events such as the boutique’s famous Halloween and Gay Pride parties. But this good retail citizen has embraced a Radical Element. New men's brand, Radical Element took a bow at LASC on March 14.

Look toward the top of Cooper Design Space in Los Angeles’ Fashion District. There’s the U.S. Flag proudly flying the red, white and blue…and a purple flag with a greyish, blue peace sign flying under it. The peace flag has been flying above the Cooper showroom building since beginning of the year, said Steve Hirsh, the general manager of the building

With the motto ‘Clothing without prejudice,’ the Cross Colours brand started business in 1989 as hip hop started to be taken seriously as a cultural force. The brand which was recently re-introduced to the fashion market, was honored March 12 by some of the many people it influenced at a Los Angeles Fashion Week event in downtown Los Angeles. We heard some hip hop, saw some Cross Colours clothes and witnessed a lot of fashion imagination. Take a look.

Manufacturing

When Jen Awad started showing her self-named line at different LA Fashion Week events since 2009, the designer was making clothes with a punk and ‘70s glam vibe. It was exactly what a woman who also gigs with rock bands should be designing. But she changed sides. Jen went disco. We found out the reasons why at her ConceptLA fashion show on March 7.

L.A. has been agog over high end vintage and pre-loved clothes for years. CeCe Hendriks made a career with selling reclaimed, high end clothes for the juniors, ranging from infants to 14-years-old. On March 11, she held a party for the new shop, located at 8178 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. Take a look.

We remember Odd Molly’s flagship store on Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard from a few years ago. But on March 10, this brand with roots in Stockholm and Hermosa Beach, Calif., will open a pop-up shop at 1306 Abbot Kinney Blvd. It's a return engagement. Odd Molly produced a pop-up shop in Abbot Kinney in Summer 2014.

Manufacturing

Stance, a San Clemente, Calif.­–based company that helped build a market for fashion socks at streetwear and surf and skate retailers, raised $50 million in venture capital funding, according to media reports.

Retail

February was tough for retailers. Freezing temperatures and winter weather kept shoppers inside their homes. There was a labor slowdown at ports on the West Coast, and after receiving a break from high gas prices during the fall, prices at the pump started climbing in February.

Showroom Profile

After representing high-profile underwear Spanx and Calvin Klein, GIG co-owners Stacey and Joel Gossman recently took on some denim and activewear clients. The additional clients demanded more space. GIG moved to a bigger showroom in the building.

After a redesign in 2014, the Revolve e-commerce emporium, based outside of Los Angeles, wanted to give its menswear section, REVOLVEman, a higher profile. Looks like plans to add an extra spotlight on REVOLVEman are going full steam ahead. On March 3, REVOLVEman will release its first editorial shoot of brands sold on its website.